(a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to animal waste removal devices and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to animal waste vacuums for removing dog and other animal excrement from lawns, animal runs, kennels, and other property.
(b) Discussion of Prior Art
People who are responsible for the care of pets and animals, especially dogs, must regularly clean up excrement from yards and other areas where the animals defecate. The task of removing animal excrement from lawns, animal runs, kennels, and other property is typically difficult, messy, and unpleasant. Inventors have attempted to design efficient tools and automated devices to assist in the unpleasant task of cleaning up animal excrement, but have been largely unsuccessful. Current devices which are used to pick up and dispose of animal excrement are cumbersome, inconvenient, and inefficient. Known apparatus used to remove animal excrement from yards and other locations are difficult to maneuver and keep clean.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,355 to Williams, U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,531 to Swartz, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,873 to Karet three different types of automated apparatus are disclosed for the removal of animal feces. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,115,879 to Mitchell, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,448 to Albert disclose a general use vacuum and piston driven vacuum respectively.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,355 discloses a hand-held vacuum with a downward facing opening at one end that must be placed directly on top of the animal feces in order to operate properly. In order to place this hand-held vacuum directly on top of the animal feces the operator must bend completely over. The vacuum has limited size due to its configuration and could not be used to remove large quantities of excrement. The vacuum would, therefore, have to be emptied on a very frequent basis causing inconvenience and cost to the user, thus defeating its initial purpose. The vacuum""s design is also flawed in that the position of the bag and interior of the vacuum would not prevent the animal excrement from falling out of the opening once it has been vacuumed and the vacuum is turned off.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,531 discloses a hand-held vacuum with an elongated intake tube that does not require the user to bend over great distance to pick up animal feces. The design of this vacuum, however, requires a sufficiently powerful vacuum motor to pull animal excrement the extended length of the elongated intake tube. The design of this vacuum would allow animal excrement to be drawn into the vacuum motor before the excrement is dropped into a receptacle. To clean the elongated tube water would have to been injected into the tube, and the length of the tube impedes thorough cleaning. Nothing in the design would prevent animal waste from contacting the interior of the main housing and keeping the apparatus clean would be difficult. The vacuum is designed to be hand-held, and therefore would have to be emptied frequently due to the weight of excrement and necessary size of the vacuum motor regardless of whether it is battery, gasoline, or electrically powered.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,873 discloses another hand-held animal waste vacuum. This vacuum is designed to be held in one hand. Vacuum motors of sufficient size to pull animal excrement, wet or dry, up a tube and into a receptacle have significant weight, which renders a hand-held vacuums impractical. That design feature, by necessity, seriously limits the capacity of the waste receptacle. Animal waste may have substantial weight of its own, especially depending on its state, wet or dry. Weight limitations will impact the typical operator who can only use one hand to carry the vacuum apparatus and waste. Therefore, the design of this vacuum would necessitate frequent emptying which is inconvenient and inefficient. The patent for this vacuum states that the intake tube should be disposed of after every use for sanitation reasons. Disposal of the intake tube after every use is wasteful, environmentally unfriendly, and financially prohibitive.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,115,879 discloses a general use vacuum used for debris such as cigarette and cigar butts, twigs, pine cones, and excrement of animals and birds. It is designed to be hand-held and its main container is divided into two compartments. Because the vacuum is hand-held its holding capacity is limited and constrained by the weight of the vacuum motor and the remainder of the apparatus. Therefore, the vacuum would have to be emptied on a frequent basis causing inconvenience to the user. The interior of the vacuum""s intake tube is unprotected and would become contaminated by animal waste. No easy and efficient cleaning mechanism is provided for by which to sanitize the interior of the tube. The filters which are placed in the interior of the canister would become blocked if wet animal waste were drawn into the apparatus. Removal of the filters and animal waste could not be accomplished easily and without great care to avoid contact with feces.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,448 discloses an animal excrement removal device featuring a spring-loaded piston that creates a vacuum when triggered. Animal excrement is pulled into a tube a short distance where it is held in a receptacle at ground level near the end of the elongated tube. The device would require substantial strength to operate the spring-loaded piston, and does not provide for the easy removal of the trapped animal excrement, which must be retrieved from the end of the elongated tube. The device is cumbersome and unwieldy.
None of the above mentioned patents disclose the unique combination of features, advantages, objects, structure and function of the subject animal waste vacuum as described herein.
In view of the foregoing, the intent of the present invention is to provide several objects and advantages over prior art. Accordingly, several objects and advantages of my present invention are:
(a) to provide an animal waste vacuum mounted on wheels and steered or directed with a handle. The wheels support the entire weight of the apparatus, vacuum motor, and collected animal waste. An operator can easily maneuver the vacuum, from a fully upright and standing position, with a handle for extended periods without tiring or bending over during operation. The wheel mounted animal waste vacuum provides greater flexibility in manufacturing, in that vacuums may be manufactured in larger sizes for commercial use, and smaller sizes for small jobs, without serious concerns about weight limitations;
(b) to provide an animal waste vacuum which is capable of handling large jobs, private or commercial, without the need for frequent emptying. The main body of the vacuum will be manufactured with a deep and wide cavity to accommodate a large waste bag capable of holding large quantities of animal excrement;
(c) to provide an animal waste vacuum which prevents contact between the vacuum""s non-disposable components and animal feces, and is easy to clean after use. The interior of the intake tube, through which animal waste is drawn by a vacuum motor, is protected by a liner during normal operation. The intake tube is short and easy to clean if the operator chooses not to use a liner during operation;
(d) to provide an animal waste vacuum which has a plastic tubing dispenser ring that slides over the exterior of the intake tube a short distance where it attaches to the intake tube. The plastic tubing dispenser ring contains a compressed thin plastic tube which can be pulled out a length equal to the length of the intake tube. The length of thin plastic tube is then stuffed into the nozzle opening of the intake tube so that when the vacuum is activated the thin plastic tube is drawn by the vacuum up the entire length of the intake tube. Once in place the thin plastic tube acts as a protective liner within the intake tube during operation, and thus prevents any animal waste from contacting any portion of the interior of the intake tube. Once the operator has completed the task of removing animal or dog excrement with the vacuum, the thin plastic tube is separated from the remainder of plastic tubing within the plastic tubing dispenser ring. This may be accomplished by tearing the plastic tubing at a perforation or by cutting the plastic. At that point in the operation the user may activate the vacuum and draw the plastic tubing, which had been the liner in the intake tube, into the waste bag where it is disposed of with the animal waste. The plastic tubing dispenser ring is removable and after its supply of thin plastic tubing is exhausted may be replaced with a new plastic tubing dispenser ring;
(e) to provide an animal waste vacuum which has two hooks on the exterior of the intake tube which allow the operator to use an alternative liner to the plastic tubing from the plastic tubing dispenser ring. The hooks allow a user to affix the handles of a common plastic grocery bag to the side of the intake tube. Once the plastic grocery bag is attached, one can snip the bottom end of the bag and place the remainder of the bag at the nozzle opening of the intake tube. When the vacuum is activated the bag is drawn up the intake tube. The plastic grocery bag acts as a liner and prevents animal waste from contacting the interior of the intake tube;
(f) to provide an animal waste vacuum which has a removable short intake tube which can be quickly and easily cleaned after use for operators who choose not to use the plastic tubing dispenser ring which holds a thin plastic tube or the plastic grocery bag as intake tube liners;
(g) to provide an animal waste vacuum that deposits the animal waste into a disposable waste bag and prevents any animal waste from being drawn into the vacuum motor;
(h) to provide an animal waste vacuum that allows quick and easy access to the vacuum waste bag, through a removable lid. The removable lid makes removal and replacement of the waste bag quick and easy.
(i) to provide an animal waste vacuum that can be used by private persons, kennel owners, zoo keepers or any other person for big and small jobs alike.